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Mention Sonny Jurgensen's name to his teammates, opponents or others who saw him pick defenses apart with relative ease, and you get virtually the same reaction: The man possessed a lightning-quick release and the ability to throw tight spirals with touch, speed and accuracy.

"His arm was an absolute trigger," said one of his Eagles teammates, Hall of Fame receiver Tommy McDonald.

When Redskins' history buffs recall the 1964 season, they are likely to remember a thrilling, high-octane offense led by quarterback Sonny Jurgensen, running back Charley Taylor and flanker Bobby Mitchell.

The defense wasn't the team's focal point, although it featured a future Pro Bowler, linebacker Sam Huff, and a promising rookie. That player, free safety Paul Krause, intercepted a league-high 12 passes and was named to the Pro Bowl. He earned Pro Bowl honors again in 1965. The 12 interceptions were one short of the team record set by Don Sandifer in 1948.

He is by far the most exciting Redskins wide receiver in years, one equipped with eye-popping speed, a fearlessness when running patterns over the middle, soft hands and an unwavering competitiveness.

His name is Santana Moss. And in his first season in Washington and fifth in the league, the 5-9 spark plug has done nothing but give defenses fits, amassing 66 catches for 1,111 yards with six touchdowns through the first 12 games. His yardage total was 325 yards behind the Redskins' all-time single-season record of 1,436 set by the legendary Bobby Mitchell in 1963.

Fifty years ago this season, a player who would vastly improve the Redskins’ image debuted in the nation’s capital.

A key player for the Browns in his first four seasons, Bobby Mitchell immediately dazzled onlookers in D.C. The speedy, slippery receiver posted league-highs of 72 catches and 1,384 receiving yards in 1962, both franchise records, plus 11 touchdown catches. He also scored a team-high 72 points.

In the process, he almost single-handedly transformed a squad that finished 1-12-1 in 1961, the worst winning percentage to date in Redskins history (.107), to one that gained some respectability with a 5-7-2 mark. It was their most single- season wins since 1957.

Mitchell’s first year in D.C. made news for another reason, too. He was the key acquisition in the move to integrate the Redskins, the last NFL team to do so.

In his weekly appearance on Redskins Nation during the 2012 season, Mike Richman discusses moments in Redskins history in relation to the upcoming game against the Browns. Mike chats with Redskins Nation host Larry Michael, the "Voice of the Redskins," about players the Redskins have acquired from the Browns, including Bobby Mitchell and Earnest Byner. Mitchell was traded to the Redskins in 1961 as part of efforts to integrate the NFL's last all-white team, and Byner came to D.C. in the late 1980s. Mitchell is now a member of the HOF, and Byner has a ring from the Redskins' win in Super Bowl XXVI. Check it out!

On Sept. 23, 1962, newly acquired Redskin Bobby Mitchell showed his old buddies from the Cleveland Browns what they were missing. With less than a minute to play, quarterback Norm Snead connected around midfield with his speedy offensive weapon, who cut to the sidelines, faked out two defenders with a breathtaking stop-and-go move, and raced to the end zone. The Redskins won 17-16. It was a sign of things to come from Mitchell, the first black superstar for a franchise that bigoted Redskins owner George Preston Marshall had refused to integrate for many years. In 11 seasons, his last seven in D.C., the multi-dimensional Mitchell tallied 14,078 combined yards. He entered the Hall of Fame in 1983.

EXCERPT: The Dallas Cowboys. No opponent in the modern era of the Washington Redskins has sparked as much resentment among players and fans in the nation’s capital. Maybe it’s those stars on the helmets, or that sacrosanct image of the self-dubbed “America’s Team,” or that myth about the hole in the roof at Texas Stadium “so God can watch his favorite team play” – all elements that have fueled an abhorrence of the snooty Cowboys. As former Redskins guard Mark May eloquently put it after a 41-14 rout of Dallas in 1986: “There are three great things in life. Winning the lottery, having a baby and beating the Cowboys this badly.” That Washington and Dallas have carried on an emotional rivalry in recent decades – one of the best, in fact, the NFL has ever had to offer – has something to do with it, too. The rivalry peaked from the early-1970s to the mid-1980s, when the NFC East foes, both perennial contenders for most of that period, collided in one epic battle after another.

EXCERPT: Another one of those nerve-wracking contests against the New York Giants, a team the Redskins seldom find easy to roll over, ended with a scene about as dreamy as you can get – if you’re a Redskins fan. With nine seconds left, a 1982 playoff berth at stake and snowflakes falling steadily onto the beaten-up turf at RFK Stadium, Mark Moseley drilled a 42-yard field goal to give the Redskins a 15-14 victory over the Giants, setting an NFL record for consecutive field goals in the process. Moseley was mobbed by his teammates, and RFK, already buzzing with excitement, shook. The picture resembled a winter wonderland in a season that became even more joyous when the Redskins won their first Super Bowl ever. That colossal victory symbolizes the intrigue of the Redskins-Giants rivalry, one of the longest and most colorful in NFL history.

The Redskins-Eagles rivalry is one of the fiercest the NFL has ever seen. The NFC East foes first collided in 1934, when both franchises were in their infancy, and have since produced an abundance of wild, bizarre and dramatic games. The Eagles have had the upper hand for more than a decade under coach Andy Reid, but the Redskins prevailed by pulling off one of the most lopsided trades in NFL history, dealing QB Norm Snead for QB Sonny Jurgensen in 1964. Jurgy compared the rivalry to a bar room brawl: “Look at how many close games the Redskins and Eagles have had over the years. Regardless of the records, the games will still be close. You knew when you went to Philadelphia, it was going to be a very physical game, a knock-down, drag-out fight. That’s the city’s culture. You knew it wasn’t going to be an easy day. Nobody was going to lay down.” Read about the storied rivalry right here.

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Mike Richman is the man with all of the answers when it comes to Redskins history. A journalist who has covered sports for a quarter-century, Mike is the author of the two most comprehensive books on Redskins history – the Washington Redskins Football Vault and The Redskins Encyclopedia. He also served as lead editor and co-author of Joe Gibbs: An Enduring Legacy, a photo-heavy book that highlights the amazing life achievements of legendary Redskins coach Joe Gibbs. Mike's articles on Redskins history have appeared in myriad publications, and he has hosted an award-winning Redskins TV show called “Burgundy & Gold Magazine” and a podcast called "Burgundy & Gold Flashback."

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About Mike

Redskins historian and journalist Mike Richman is the author of the two most comprehensive books on Redskins history – The Redskins Encyclopedia and the Washington Redskins Football Vault: The History of a Proud Franchise. Mike also served as lead editor and co-author of Joe Gibbs: An Enduring Legacy, a photo-heavy book that reviews the amazing life achievements of legendary Redskins coach Joe Gibbs. Mike has also hosted a podcast focusing on Redskins history called "Burgundy & Gold Flashback," which brings listeners front and center with the team's tradition, and he has produced and hosted a TV show called "Burgundy & Gold Magazine." For his work on "Burgundy & Gold Magazine," Mike won first place for sports coverage in the nationally recognized 2013 Hometown Media Awards sponsored by the Alliance for Community Media. He's been interviewed extensively by print and broadcast media on Redskins...